Please note: If you have a promotional code you'll be prompted to enter it prior to confirming your order.

Customer Sign In

Returning Customer

If you have an account, please sign in.

New Customers

If you subscribe to any of our print newsletters and have never activated your online account, please activate your account below for online access. By activating your account, you will create a login and password. You only need to activate your account once.

In Case You Missed It:

Cytochrome P450 enzymes and psychiatric drugs

How a patient's genetic profile and other medications can alter
drug response.

The American Journal of Psychiatry published an article
describing the hypothetical case of a woman who sought treatment
for depression while taking tamoxifen, a drug often prescribed to
reduce the likelihood of breast cancer recurrence. The case was
intended to illustrate the impact that the liver's cytochrome
P450 enzymes can have on psychiatric drug choice, especially when
patients are taking multiple medications.

Tamoxifen is broken down in the liver by several cytochrome P450
enzymes that also metabolize psychiatric drugs. In the case
above, prescribing fluoxetine (Prozac) or paroxetine (Paxil)
could affect blood levels of both tamoxifen and the
antidepressant. Fluoxetine and paroxetine are metabolized by one
of the cytochrome P450 enzymes that helps break down tamoxifen.
They also compete with other drugs for use of this pathway (see
table, below).

Best-selling Reports

Harvard Health Minute

Men and depression: Getting the right treatment

Daily Health Tip

Know your BMI

BMI stands for "body mass index." It's a measure of weight that includes height. A healthy BMI is between 18 and 25. If yours is above 25, losing weight is a good idea. You can calculate your BMI at health.harvard.edu/BMI.